Retail gasoline prices across Texas have jumped 4 cents this week as motorists continue traveling during the holidays, some to New Year's gatherings.
AAA Texas on Thursday reported that the average price at the pump is $3.09 per gallon.The association says gasoline prices nationwide are also up 4 cents, reaching $3.25 per gallon.
AAA Texas says Texarkana has the highest average price statewide for gasoline, at $3.13 a gallon. El Paso has the cheapest gasoline, at an average $2.97 per gallon.
The association says the current statewide average is 19 cents higher than it was during the same time last year, but 80 cents lower than the record high for Texas 2011, which was $3.98 set in mid-May.
AP
Relative Says Alleged Grapevine Killer Disliked Estranged Wife’s Success
A family friend says a man authorities say killed six family members before turning the gun on himself Christmas Day didn't like that his estranged wife was doing well.
Azar Shahbazi spoke at a news conference Thursday afternoon following the private burial of the six victims.
Authorities say 56-year-old Aziz Yazdanpanah, who had marital and financial problems, killed his estranged wife, their two teenage children, his wife's sister, his brother-in-law and his niece before turning the gun on himself at an apartment in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine where his wife and children had been staying.
The brother of Yazdanpanah's wife, Ali Rahmaty, a surgeon from London, says the shooter had been unemployed for more than a decade.
AP
Police Arrest Five Occupy Protesters Outside Ron Paul’s Headquarters
Police have arrested five Occupy protesters outside the Iowa campaign headquarters of Republican presidential contender Ron Paul.
The arrests were made Thursday in Ankeny, near Des Moines, as demonstrators protested Paul's proposal to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency if elected.
A spokeswoman for the group, Occupy the Caucuses, says they arrived at Paul's campaign headquarters to find the doors locked.
Police say the protesters were asked to move to a public sidewalk or risk arrest, but refused. He says they were cited for trespassing.
Thursday's arrests came a day after police handcuffed and cited seven Occupy protesters outside Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters in Des Moines.
The Occupy spokeswoman says protesters plan to visit the campaign headquarters of each Republican candidate and President Barack Obama before the weekend.
AP
Fifty-plus Percent of Latinos Dislike Obama’s Handling of Deportations
More than half of U.S. Latinos say they disapprove of the way the Obama administration has handled deportations. Reporter, Ruxandra Guidi tells us about the latest survey of Hispanic public opinion.
Latinos' views on immigration policy and the upcoming presidential election will have a big impact on President Obama's chances next year. The Pew Hispanic Center's Mark Lopez co-wrote the report based on surveys of more than 12-hundred Latinos.
Lopez: The President's job approval rating over the last year has declined by nine percentage points among Latino registered voters. And in fact, the interesting thing is, the gap between Latinos and the general public in terms of approval ratings of Barack Obama has actually diminished a lot over the course of the last year.
In other words, Latino public opinion closely resembles the general public's at this point. Jobs, education, and health care remain at the top of their list.
Ruxandra Guidi, Fronteras
Judge rejects request to delay Stanford trial
A federal judge has rejected a request by disgraced financier R. Allen Stanford that his trial be postponed.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner's ruling Wednesday denied a motion by Stanford's attorneys for a continuance until April. The ruling means jury selection will begin Jan. 23.
Stanford has been jailed since being charged in 2009 with bilking investors out of $7 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme.
Hittner's ruling said Stanford has adequate legal representation and that the need for a speedy trial is particularly acute because of the thousands of investors affected.
Hittner ruled last week that Stanford is competent to stand trial. That ruling came after a three-day hearing in which Stanford's attorneys argued that a traumatic brain injury and other disorders prevented him from assisting in his defense.
AP